S class - slow to recharge?

[Zero Niner]

I'm doing my first ever patrol in an S class, and I notice that it takes a lot slower for the batteries to recharge, compared to later class boats. Is this a characteristic of this class of boat?

[Rockin Robbins]

Yes.

[propbeanie]

I'm not sure if it's on purpose in the game, but the S Boats are from the 1918-1920 era, and electricity and batteries were still a relatively new phenomenon, so I like to think of it as the game simulating old-tech equipment that's worn-out, like me...

yep, the s-class boats were leftovers from WW! and in reality were supposed to be scrapped but when pearl harbor happened we were caught unprepared and so they were put to use even though 50% of them sank just from mechanical or structural failures and not by the enemy. they were in fact death traps and it was "almost" suicidal to sail in them. they were too leaky, too old, too slow, to lightly armored, too limited in range, too limited in torpedos they can carry, too limited in battery life and underwater range and took damn near all day to recharge the batteries so crews often only ran submerged when absolutely needed and had to recharge batteries at night or in bad weather and pray they weren't spotted doing it.

[Rockin Robbins]

And if you think the S-boats in the game were bad, the ones in the war were rusty, leaky, had severe reliability problems, most were a 50-50 proposition for a 100' dive. Worst of all were the diesel engine problems from the early copies of MAN German diesels where the bad translation resulted in critical errors in the mechanical construction of the motors.

It was a very unpretty sight. For a small hint of reality, load up Webster's S-boat mod. It's like piloting an eggshell with cracks in it. Definitely a white-knuckle experience.

[Aktungbby]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_S-class_submarine